


A Change in the Weather

by Sparklyfairymira (myonetruelove)



Series: Witcher AU [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Chopped: The 100 Fanfic Challenge, Forehead Kisses, Gardener John Murphy, Gen, Heist, POV John Murphy (The 100), Platonic Relationships, Truth Serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25595437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myonetruelove/pseuds/Sparklyfairymira
Summary: Murphy leans over, plucking a weed from between the Bitter Spolwoods. “There you go. All better now. Can’t let that mean old weed try and strangle you, can we?” He grabs the water jug by his side and waters the ground around the plants before stroking the purple leaves. “You’re doing so well here. Look at you getting so big.”“Are you talking to the plants again?”Murphy grins as he turns to face Raven. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. I always talk to the plants. Why do you think they grow so well?”“They’re plants, Murphy.” Raven raises an eyebrow as she stares at him.“Exactly.” Murphy turns to the plants again, lovingly stroking the leaves. “Ignore her. She just doesn’t understand.”Or: A friend is kidnapped causing Murphy, Raven, and Clarke to join forces with others to save him, all while set in a magical fantasy world.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin & John Murphy, Clarke Griffin & John Murphy & Raven Reyes
Series: Witcher AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874389
Kudos: 13
Collections: Chopped 3.0 Round 3





	A Change in the Weather

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is for Chopped Round 3. The theme is fantasy so I have set mine in the Witchers universe with a spin (no, we will not meet any Witchers but it does give you a basis for the world although mine includes some additions that weren't seen in the show). This was a mandatory platonic round so no relationships (except for the mention of one-sided feelings, but it's not too much of a mention). The tropes for this round were:
> 
> *Heist AU (which I spun a bit but it's still heist fashion)  
> *Character drinks a potion that makes them unable to lie  
> *Gardener AU (all plants in this fic were made up)  
> *Forehead kiss
> 
> Rating is for language. The title is from "A Drop in the Ocean" by Ron Pope.
> 
> I hope that you enjoy this as I was greatly looking forward to the Fantasy round. Please comment/leave kudos if you'd like. Also, be sure to check out the other entries in this round which can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Chopped_3_Round_3) and I will link the voting here as well once it's been posted. Best of luck to everyone!
> 
> [Vote here](https://chopped100challenge.tumblr.com/post/625221193892495360/voting-for-round-3-of-chopped-30-is-officially)

Murphy leans over, plucking a weed from between the Bitter Spolwoods. “There you go. All better now. Can’t let that mean old weed try and strangle you, can we?” He grabs the water jug by his side and waters the ground around the plants before stroking the purple leaves. “You’re doing so well here. Look at you getting so big.”

“Are you talking to the plants again?”

Murphy grins as he turns to face Raven. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. I _always_ talk to the plants. Why do you think they grow so well?”

“They’re _plants_ , Murphy.” Raven raises an eyebrow as she stares at him.

“Exactly.” Murphy turns to the plants again, lovingly stroking the leaves. “Ignore her. She just doesn’t understand.”

Raven scoffs. “Oh, trust me. I understand just fine. You’re batshit crazy.”

Murphy hums but doesn’t reply. Let her think what she wants. He knows that talking to the plants helps them grow. It makes them feel wanted and just like any living creature they want to know that they’re wanted. It’s as simple as that. She just doesn’t respect that plants are just as alive as the two of them.

“Well, I hate to break up your _talking_ , but I just got an urgent message from Clarke.”

Murphy stood quickly. “Why didn’t you start with that?”

Raven rolls her eyes. “Calm down. We have an hour.” Raven’s face sobers. “Roan has been kidnapped.”

“Seriously? I actually like him.” Murphy walks around the rows of plants until he reaches her side. “What happened?”

“The Wallaces and Tsing took him. I don’t know much else. That’s all Clarke’s message said. Well, that and it’s all hands on deck. I already sent a message to Sinclair and Shaw.” Raven continues to speak as they head toward the cabin. “We’re meeting them at Eden’s Pass. Clarke will be here in—well less than an hour now so we need to be ready.”

Murphy’s nose turns up at the mention of Shaw, but he doesn’t say anything as he nods. There are plants he should grab just in case. He’s already turning back around even as Raven continues to talk. 

She stops and turns to glare at him. “Where the hell are you going?”

“Plants. Go. I’ll be there in a little bit.” Murphy glances back at her and grins. “I’ll be ready when she gets here. Promise.” He continues on his path back into the garden. He can’t be sure what they’ll need—who the hell knows what they’re going to be doing to get Roan back. So he better make sure to grab a little bit of anything that _might_ be helpful.

Some of the large purple Bitter Spolwood leaves. A handful of the lime green Death Morel leaves. Some of the fruit from the Star Lotus plants. A few of the Moon Aconite flowers. A whole Wanor Srage plant. The roots of the Scented Cane. Some of the textured black leaves from the Knies. Some of the red needles from the Prancing Canium. Some sap from the Glaswoss. He hopes that this is enough. 

Murphy hurries back to the house and to his room, throwing clothes into a bag before strapping on his sword and grabbing his bow and quiver full of arrows. He’s pretty sure that someone will have a mortar and pestle, but maybe he better bring his own. He likes his better anyway. He grabs it off of the table in his room before glancing around once. He thinks he has everything he needs, but he’s sure that he’ll remember something else once they’re gone.

“Murphy!” Raven roars.

Murphy startles, realizing that he’s taken longer than he meant to. He hurries to the front room just as the portal appears, Clarke stepping out. “Told you I’d be here on time.”

Raven rolls her eyes, stepping into the portal without another word.

“Cutting it close, as usual, Murphy?” Clarke’s smile is a little forced, but Murphy appreciates it none the less. 

Murphy sweeps her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he pulls back. “I’ve missed you. You need to visit us more often.” She’s one of his closest friends and he doesn’t like that he sees her so infrequently.

Clarke’s smile is genuine as she looks up at him. “I’m sorry. Duty calls and all that nonsense.”

“You hate duty.” Murphy throws his arm around his shoulder. “Screw duty. Family is more important.”

Clarke’s arm wraps around his waist and she squeezes lightly as they step into the portal together. “You’re right. I’ll do better. I promise. I’ve missed the two of you as well.”

“Of course you have. We’re awesome.” Raven grins at them as they step into a room that is empty except for a bed, a small table, and a single chair. 

Clarke steps away from him and with a few flicks of her wrist the portal closes. “Follow me. Everyone is downstairs.”  
  


Murphy and Raven trail behind Clarke as they step out of the room. Murphy realizes that they’re in a tavern. It’s not one he’s been in before, but they pretty much all look and sound the same. They follow her down the stairs and through a doorway that leads down a dark hallway—the light from the fires not quite reaching this far. 

Clarke pushes open a door at the end of the hallway, light flickering out as it opens. As Murphy steps inside he looks around to take in the others already in the room.

Sinclair, Raven’s mentor, and father figure. A dragon, like Raven, but he’s never seen Sinclair in dragon form so he’s not sure what color he is. Raven has told him a lot about Sinclair, but there were certain things that she always left out. Like how Sinclair was able to have a human form. He’d once asked if Sinclair had been gifted his human form by a sorceress like Clarke had gifted hers to Raven and she’d told him no, but hadn’t been willing to give him any more information. If he is honest Sinclair, while a very nice guy who has always been kind to Murphy, scares him. He’s not sure if it’s because he’s in love with his pseudo daughter or if it’s a power thing. 

Anya, banshee. One scary-ass woman—she’s able to not only predict death, but she can manipulate her scream to cause harm to others. He’s seen her in action and it was scary as hell and not much scared him—not counting Sinclair because that was persona). He never wants to be on her bad side.

Lexa, siren, and Clarke’s ex. He’s a little surprised to see her. He’d been there following the breakup and it had _not_ been pretty. Even after 20 years, he knows that Clarke doesn’t like to talk about her so it’s saying a lot that they’re both in the same room.

Nyko, druid. He doesn’t know much about Nyko seeing as he generally doesn’t leave the forest and Murphy doesn’t have much use for the forest. He knows that Nyko helps protect the wildlife and the plants in the forest where he lives but that’s about it. Oh, and he once saw him turn into a tiger. So that was pretty cool.

Luna, selkie. Luna is another mystery to him. He knows about selkies—they all do, but from what he knew of her Luna _hates_ her human form. So he has no idea why she’s here. 

Diyoza, valkyrie. A badass warrior that doesn’t put up with any shit. He likes her a lot. He’s not sure she likes him as much as he likes her, but he can deal with that. He’s glad that she’s here. If there’s going to be a fight she’s the one that they want with them. He’s seen her cut down ten men with little effort.

Shaw, vampire, and honestly bane of existence. Okay, that is definitely an exaggeration but he _really_ can’t stand the guy. He’s so smug and the fact that he’s Raven’s ex probably doesn’t help. But also he’s a vampire. He drinks people’s blood to survive. 

Murphy bites back on a sigh as he remembers that he survives off of people’s sexual energy and he _has_ killed people before he learned to control it. Really he can’t hold being a vampire against Shaw except that he seems to hold the fact that Murphy is an incubus against him. That validates him in his dislike of what Shaw is. 

“Took you long enough,” Shaw snipes as he hands out ales to everyone. When he reaches Raven he leans over and kisses her cheek before handing hers to her. “Murphy.” The disdain is crystal clear in his voice as he hands him his glass before handing the last one to Clarke.

Murphy looks down at the ale. There’s no way he’s drinking something that Shaw gave him. Gods only know what the hell he put in it. He sees Raven drink from hers from the corner of his eye and shrugs. He’ll give it a few minutes and if everyone else seems fine then he’ll drink it. He trails behind Raven to the table everyone has gathered around, sitting between her and Lexa. 

His eyes rove around the table as he watches everyone chatting and catching up. Most of their ales have been drunk from and they all look fine. He takes a drink, hesitantly. It tastes fine. Maybe Shaw didn’t do anything to do it. He shrugs and takes a long drink before turning to Lexa. “So how did Clarke convince you to come?”

Lexa turns to face him and gives him a brief smile. “Hi, Murphy. I’m good thanks.” She shakes her head. “I’m not doing this for Clarke. I owe Roan a favor. This will make us even.”

Murphy nods as he looks around the table, curious why they’d all answered the call to save Roan. He narrows his eyes when they land on Shaw who is smirking at him. He _really_ doesn’t trust this guy. He’s up to something—Murphy just doesn’t know what yet. 

“So tell me, Murphy, why are _you_ here?” Lexa takes a drink from her glass before setting it onto the table.

He opens his mouth to give a signature smart ass Murphy response, but what comes out is, “Clarke asked.” What the hell? That was definitely not what he’d intended to stay. Something was off. He glares at his cup before turning to glare at Shaw. Murphy is now absolutely sure that Shaw did something to his drink.

Beside him, Lexa nods and laughs quietly. “That makes sense. Not the answer I was expecting, but it makes sense.” She pauses. “But don’t you hate Roan?”

“No way. I _love_ Roan. He’s all buff muscles and broodiness. And have you seen that ass?” Murphy slaps a hand over his mouth. What. The. Fuck.

Lexa eyes him curiously, head tilting to the side. “You okay, Murphy?”

Murphy shrugs as he turns back to face Lexa, eyes wide. “I don’t think so.” Also not what he meant to say.

Shaw’s laughter makes its way over to him, drawing his attention once again. He’s doubled over in laughter.

Raven’s eyes are narrowed as she looks at Shaw. “What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing.” Shaw holds his hands up in surrender as he tries to reign in his laughter.

“Murph?” Raven’s eyes are concerned as she turns back to him. “What’s going on?”

“I think he drugged my drink.” Murphy looks to his ale again trying to figure out what Shaw could’ve done.

Shaw laughs again. “Why don’t you tell Raven how you feel about her, Murphy?”

“I’m in love with Raven. She’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever known.” Murphy’s eyes widen as he slaps his hand over his mouth once again. Seriously? His eyes flicker to Raven for a moment to find her staring at him wide-eyed before turning back to Shaw. “What the hell did you do to me?”

“It’s just a little truth serum.” Shaw laughs as he leans back in his chair. “Just a little harmless fun.”

Murphy is out of his seat and around the table before anyone can blink. Shaw, able to move faster than most of those in the room, is up and meeting him halfway. Murphy swings, but his hand bounces off of thin air. What in the hell is going on now?

“We don’t have time for this,” Clarke’s voice booms through the room, and as Murphy glances back at her he can see the flash of fire in her eyes and knows that she’s the reason he wasn’t able to hit Shaw. He reaches out and finds that there is a barrier of magic between him and Shaw. He tilts his head and he can see it shimmering. 

“But, Clarke. I _really_ don’t like him,” Murphy whines. “Can’t I hit him just once?”

Clarke sighs. “I know you don’t like him, but we don’t have time for this right now.” She turns to face Shaw. “Please tell me you have an antidote.”

“No.” Shaw is smirking, his eyes on Murphy as he speaks. “Don’t worry it’ll wear off in a few hours. “

Well, that fucking sucks. A couple of hours of telling the truth? Maybe he can just keep his mouth shut? That doesn’t seem likely. He’s a little afraid of what truths might spill from his lips. 

Clarke takes a deep breath and Murphy knows that she’s trying to calm herself. “This is your _one_ warning Shaw. Pull anything else like this and I will portal your ass to the middle of the ocean, got it?”

“This is why you’re my favorite.” Murphy grins at Clarke, not even ashamed of this truth.

Clarke rolls her eyes. “I’m sorry, Murphy.” She gestures with her hands, muttering something he can’t hear under her breath.

He opens his mouth to ask why she’s sorry and finds that his voice is gone. He’s not happy about it, but it’s probably for the best. Most of the people in this room don’t want to hear his truths—especially not where they’re involved. He steps back from the barrier and heads back to his seat, shaking his head to himself. Well, at least now he knows he’ll be able to behave.

Raven reaches out and squeezes his hand. “I’m sorry, Murph. I didn’t want to ask him for his help, but Clarke asked. I should’ve known he’d do something like this.”

Murphy gives her a small smile as he shrugs, glad that his voice is gone. Raven probably doesn’t want to hear her thoughts on Shaw or on herself for that matter. They weren’t here for him to spill how he feels about her—they were here to figure out to rescue Roan. This was not the place for romance. He settles back into his seat, pouring his ale onto the floor before grabbing Raven’s and drinking it. If he can’t talk at least he can have a drink that wasn’t spiked with truth serum. 

Luna stands up and wanders to look into the fire. “Roan managed to get me a message while I was in the water. I went to the Wallaces’ castle at the base of Mount Weather and I watched them bring him in. I knew there was no way that I could get him on my own which is why I reached out to Clarke.” She nods to Clarke. “Who, unlike me, actually knows people who could help.” She looks around the table. “I know that many of you don’t know me. I don’t like violence. It’s why I stay away from the human world. It’s too bloody and cruel, but we can’t let anything happen to Roan. Anything that the Wallaces have planned for him isn’t good. But we need a plan.”

Murphy sits back and watches as they all begin talking at once, talking over one another. What a great way to work out a plan. They all have ideas on how it should be done and don’t want to listen to each other. His eyes slide to Diyoza who is sitting back in her chair and watching just like he is. Their eyes meet and he wonders why she’s there. To his knowledge, she doesn’t know Roan and she doesn’t often include herself in the wars of the humans and their magic users. What’s her skin in the game? 

Seeing as he can’t ask her he turns his attention back to the others, watching as Lexa and Clarke argue over something. This is never going to work. They’re all so used to being in charge that they don’t know how to listen to one another. He glances at Raven who is arguing with Shaw as Sinclair tries to calm her down. He doesn’t even know if they’re arguing over an idea for a plan or something else—like what Shaw had done to him. He would guess it was the latter based upon how upset Raven is. He meets Diyoza’s eyes again, narrowing his own as he watches her. She wants to say something, but she’s not. Why?

Murphy raises his hand, waving it around until Clarke sees him. Clarke glares at him for a moment before shaking her head, muttering under her breath. “What, Murphy?”

“ _This_ isn’t going to help Roan. None of you are used to listening to others—you’re too used to being in charge. There are too many alphas not willing to give up control.” Murphy shrugs. 

Lexa tilts her head in his direction. “The incubus has a good point.”

“So how do we decide who gets to be in charge?” Clarke glances around the room, looking at each of them in turn. “I’m sure that we all think we have the best idea for how to handle this.”

Murphy nods in Diyoza’s direction. “Maybe let the one that’s literally built for battles and strategy be in charge?”

Murphy looks around and finds the others are nodding, some more reluctant than others, but they all seem to be in agreement. Diyoza doesn’t look surprised, but honestly, Murphy’s not sure that he’s ever seen an actual emotion on her face. 

“I can’t believe that _Murphy_ had a good idea,” Shaw mutters, but it’s loud enough for Murphy to hear.

“You may all think I’m an idiot—which I’m not by the way—but I pay attention. Remember that.” The last part he says directly to Shaw before turning back to Diyoza. “I assume you’re good with this?”

Diyoza nods, standing. “I have an idea, but didn’t see any reason to try and yell over all of you.” She quirks a brow as she looks around the table and Murphy wants to laugh but manages not to. Diyoza is such a badass—dragging everyone without directly calling them out. 

“You tell them, Diyoza.” Murphy doesn’t bother fighting his grin.

“Murphy…” Clarke’s voice is a warning. “Don’t make me take away your voice again.”

He forces his face to be neutral as he nods. He’s not sure if he wants her to take away his voice because Gods know what he’s libel to say, but for now, he would like to keep it. He turns his attention back to Diyoza.

Diyoza turns her attention to Clarke. “You have a relationship with the Wallaces right? Didn’t you serve them for a short time?”

Clarke laughs, short and humorless. “Yeah, I worked for them while Dante was in charge. Once Cage took over we decided it would be best if I found another post. I know that he specifically requested Tsing. I’m pretty sure they’re involved.”

“Good, we can use that.” Diyoza nods. “You can arrange a meeting with them.”

“They know that I’m good friends with Roan. They’ll know why I’m there.” Clarke frowns, obviously confused by why this would be a good idea.

“That’s perfect. You can tell them that you want to negotiate for Roan’s release and I take it you were on good terms with Dante?” When Clarke nods, Diyoza continues, “Then you can send the request to him. Obviously Cage isn’t going to let his father do the negotiating. He’ll want to be there. And we know that they’re not going to agree to anything you offer, but we can use that as a distraction.”

“And what about the rest of us?” Sinclair asks. “That gets Clarke into the castle, but not the rest of us.”

“This will, for obvious reasons,” Diyoza glances at Shaw, “need to be a night mission. You should see if they’ll agree to a dinner meeting.”

Clarke nods, grabbing a parchment and quill from the table and is already scribbling away. 

“Do you think that you get away and open a portal to let us in?” Diyoza’s eyes never leave Clarke.

Clarke looks up from her writing with a questioning look. “They’ll know exactly what I’m up to.”

“No, they won’t.” Diyoza shakes her head. “Cage is cocky. He won’t think that you’d try something. And I’m sure you can come up with an excuse to go to the bathroom.”

“Or better yet,” Murphy leans forward as he speaks, “I can get you something that’ll knock them out.” He pats his bag. “I brought some plants with me. I know exactly what we can use. And I know you’ve got sneaky hands so you can slip it to them.”

Diyoza is nodding, respect in her eyes as she looks at him. “That’ll work. We knock them out and you can portal us in. There will still be guards to deal with.” She looks back to Clarke. “Do you think Tsing will be at the dinner?”

“Yes.” Clarke nods. “She’ll want to rub in my face that she has my post. Not that I wanted it anymore, but that’s just how she is. And Cage will want to show her off.”

“So their sorceress will be incapacitated as well. That’ll make it much easier.” She looks around the group. “Can all of you fight?” Her eyes land on Luna. “Are you willing to fight?”

“For Roan, I will fight.” Luna lifts her chin. “But I will not kill.”

“I’m not asking you to kill.” Diyoza turns to look at Nyko. “I don’t know you or what you do.”

“He can turn into a tiger. It’s awesome,” Murphy speaks before he can stop himself, eyes wide when everyone turns to look at him. Oops. He’s not sure if they’re looking at him because that’s not common knowledge or if it’s because he just blurted it out. Either way, it’s not like he meant to.

Nyko nods. “I can shift into certain animals. I can fight.”

“Murphy, when can you have the potion or whatever it is you’re going to make ready?” Diyoza’s eyes turn to him once again.

“A few hours at most.” Murphy is trying to figure out which combination of plants to combine for the best results—without killing anyone. 

“Then we can plan for tomorrow night.” Diyoza sits back into her chair, taking a drink from her cup. “Clarke?”

Clarke closes her eyes, muttered under her breath as she gestures with her hands and within seconds the parchment in front of her is gone. “I’ve sent the request. As soon as I hear back I’ll let you know. I requested to join them for dinner tomorrow night, but it’s in their hands now.” As she finishes speaking there’s a flash of light and a parchment appears in her hands. “Well, that was faster than I had expected.” She reads what is written. “I’ve been cordially invited to join Dante, Cage, and Lorelei tomorrow night for dinner. We’re in.”

“So are we getting rooms?” Murphy asks. “I have work to do and I’d rather not be around some of you longer than necessary.” His eyes flash to Shaw.

Clarke lets out a deep sigh as she shakes her head at him. “I can’t even tell if that’s the truth serum talking or just you, Murphy.”

“Pretty sure it’s all me, but who knows?” Murphy smirks.

“The room we portaled into is for you.” She tosses him a key. “Get your plant mixture done before you head to bed, okay? Bring it to me when you’re done.”

Murphy nods his agreement before standing up. As he’s turning around Raven grabs his hand, squeezing it for just a moment. He shoots her a quick smile before heading up the stairs to his room.

Once inside the room, he pulls out the plants that he’d brought with him and started sorting them. The Moon Achonite flowers, the leaves from the Death Morel, and the needles from the Dancing Canium. That’s all he needs. He quickly tosses them into the mortar and quickly crushes them with the pestle. He grinds and grinds until its nothing but a powder.

He pours the powder into a small pouch, tying it off before heading downstairs where he is sure that Clarke will still be. He makes his way back into the back room where they’d had their meeting, the door is open and he finds that it’s just Clarke and Raven now. They’re talking, heads close together. He smiles as he leans against the doorframe and watches them for a few moments. 

It’s been a while since Clarke has been able to spend any substantial time with himself and Raven. He knows that Raven has missed Clarke just as much as he has so he hates to interrupt their time together.

“It’s really creepy when you just stand there and watch us, you know that right?” Raven glances over her shoulder, her smile soft.

Clarke turns around, smiling as well. “I take it you’ve finished?”

Murphy nods as he makes his way over to take a seat on Clarke’s other side. He tosses the pouch into her lap. “We should have about an hour with this mixture. I didn’t want to make it too strong and figured that an hour would be enough.”

“It should be.” Clarke plays with the ties of the pouch before looking up at him. “I want you to come with me to the Wallaces.”

“What? Why?” Murphy’s brow furrows as he frowns. It’s not that he has a problem going with her, but Clarke usually likes doing these things on her own. She’s not someone who likes to ask for help.

“I want her to have someone who can watch her back.” Raven leans around Clarke to look at him. “Cage and I had a run in a few years back and I don’t think me going would be a good idea so I asked her to bring you.”

Murphy nods slowly. “It would be easier with two of us to get the powder to all three of them. You can distract them while I get it in their drinks. That actually makes me feel a lot better about you doing this.”

Clarke laughs as she takes his hand. “What’s wrong, don’t you think I can take care of myself?”

“Oh, I know you can take care of yourself. I’d just rather you not have to.” Murphy squeezes her hand. “Just because you’re capable of doing everything on your own doesn’t mean you have to.”

“You’re right.” Clarke reaches out with her other hand and grabs one of Raven’s so that she is holding onto both of them at once. “Thank you, both of you. I don’t know what I’d do without the two of you.”

“Die of boredom?” Murphy smiles when Clarke and Raven laugh. He really has missed this. He hates that it took Roan getting kidnapped for them to spend more than an hour together. “Clarke, are you ever going to come home?”

Clarke’s face sobers quickly. “You know that I can’t. I have to serve Arkadia.”

“But do you? I mean, really? You hate it. Why do you keep doing it?” It’s something that Murphy has asked her many times over the years and he’s watched as her answers have gotten more hesitant each time.

“I don’t know.” Clarke shakes her head before leaning against his shoulder. “I don’t know why I keep doing it.” She pauses. “Maybe I won’t, but I can’t think about that right now. We need to focus on Roan. We’ll talk about it again once we’ve rescued Roan, okay?”

Murphy squeezes her hand as he looks over at Raven and he sees the hope in her eyes. Maybe they can finally get Clarke back. “Of course, Clarke.” He kisses the top of her head. “Whatever you want.”

They settle back, Raven leaning on Clarke who is leaning on Murphy and just watch the fire flicker. They don’t speak because they don’t have to. For this moment they just enjoy being with their family.

* * *

A knock on the door pulls Murphy from his sleep. His eyes open slowly, growling when the knock sounds again. “Hold on.” He climbs out of the bed and throws open the door. “What?”

Clarke stands there, one eyebrow quirked as she eyes him—shirtless and disheveled. “Well, hello to you too.”

“Sorry, Clarke. I was napping.” Murphy steps back and gestures for her to enter. “What’s up?”

“It’s time to get ready.” She doesn’t step into the room, instead holding out the stack of clothes in her arms. “I got you something nicer to wear. Get changed. We’re going to head out in about 30 minutes.” She reaches up and tousles his hair, wrinkling her nose. “And do something with your hair please.”

“Yes, Mother.” Murphy takes the clothes from her as he rolls his eyes. “I’ll be presentable.”

Clarke just smiles. “I know you will be. I’ll be back and we’ll portal from here, okay?”

“Got it.” Murphy shakes his head as he shuts the door behind her. It’s like she has no faith in him. He knows how to look good—he’s a fucking incubus for the Gods’ sake. Just because he doesn’t generally put in a lot of effort into how he looks doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know _how_. He moves over to the bucket of water that he’d gotten earlier for this exact purpose, doing a quick cleanup and washing his hair. He styles it while it’s wet, using the sap from the Glaswoss to help it keep it in place. 

Walking over to the bed where he’d set the clothes he dresses quickly, admiring the cut of the suit that Clarke has picked out for him. It fits him perfectly and he knows even without looking in the mirror that he looks good—not that he ever _doesn’t_ look good. 

When the knock sounds at his door he throws it open to find Clarke dressed in an ice blue dress and whistles. “Damn, Clarke.”

Clarke just rolls her eyes as she reaches up to mess with the collar of his shirt. “Thank you for putting in some effort.”

“Can’t let the Wallaces think you have a slob associating with you after all.” Murphy grins as he lets her into the room, shutting the door behind her. “You ready for this?”

“I am. Are you?” Clarke holds out the pouch that he’d given to her the night before. “You’re the one who is going to have to drug them.”

“That part will be easy. It’ll be the not pummeling Cage that I’m more worried about. I hear he’s a dick.” Murphy slides the pouch into his pocket before grabbing another pouch from the table and pouring its contents into the pitcher of water that sits on the table. He pours them both a glass. “We need to drink this before we go so that we’ll be immune to the effects of the powder.” They both drink the glasses before he turns back to her. “So, Cage?”

“He’s not a nice guy, a little creepy. But he’s never shown interest in men so _you_ should be fine.” Clarke begins the gestures to open the portal, words that he’s heard many times spilling from her lips, and then the purple portal appears before them. “Remember, be on your best behavior.”

“I’ve got this, Clarke.” Murphy rolls his eyes. He would be annoyed by her lack of confidence in him if he didn’t know her so well. He knows that she’s worried about Roan and about their plan succeeding so she’s freaking out about what she can. He takes her hand and they step through the portal together.

When they come out the other side they’re in the entranceway to what he assumes is the Wallaces’ castle. Standing before them is an older man that he guesses would be Dante. 

“Clarke, my dear, how I have missed you.” Dante steps forward to take Clarke’s hands and when he sees that she is holding Murphy’s hand he pauses for a moment. 

Murphy drops Clarke’s hand and she reaches out to grasp Dante’s hands in her own, leaning forward so that Dante can kiss her cheek. “It’s so good to see you, Dante. It’s been too long.”

Dante extends his hand to Murphy. “Hello, I’m Dante Wallace.”

“Murphy.” Murphy shakes Dante’s hand, surprised at how firm his grip is. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you.” He inclines his head to Murphy before turning back to Clarke, offering her his arm. He appreciates that the man doesn’t question that he has only given one name—he prefers that others don’t know his given name. It’s not that he hates it—he just doesn’t’ care for it so the fewer people that know it the better. “Cage and Lorelei are waiting for us in the dining hall. I wanted to greet you on my own before you have to deal with them.” He glances over his shoulder to speak to Murphy as they begin to walk. “My son has not always treated Clarke very well which is why I made sure she was released from her position when he took over.”

“Which I am so grateful for.” Clarke smiles up at Dante. “I probably would’ve killed him.”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” Dante laughs as he leads them down the hallway.

Meanwhile, Murphy is frowning. Clarke has never told him what had happened with Cage, but she’d said that it had been bad. It’s probably good that he doesn’t know since he has to play nice now, but he hates that Clarke has to play nice to someone that was anything but kind to her. People that don’t know her often call her an ice queen, but Clarke feels more than any other person that he knows and he hates that she’s having to do this.

As they step into the dining room Murphy’s eyes land on a man in his 30s and he immediately doesn’t like him. The way that he’s sitting in his chair and doesn’t get up when they enter the room, just watching them with an amused expression rubs him the wrong way. A woman with dark hair and bronzed skin steps to his side, hand landing on his shoulder. This must be Tsing—Lorelei. He has to remember to call her Lorelei. Clarke never calls her by her first name and the way she says her name with disgust has always made Murphy curious about what had happened between the two of them.

“Clarke.” Cage smirks as he watches them approach. “You’re looking more beautiful than ever.”

Dante clears his throat, motioning for Murphy to step forward. “Murphy, this is my son Cage and his sorceress Lorelei. Cage, Lorelei, this is Clarke’s companion Murphy.”

“Companion, huh?” Tsing raises her eyebrows as she looks between him and Clarke. “And what exactly does that mean?”

“It means whatever we want it to mean, Lorelei.” Clarke’s smile is sweet, but her words are biting. She turns back to face Cage. “Thank you so much for meeting with me tonight.”

Cage laughs. “How could I say no to a request from Clarke Griffin? Although I don’t know what you expect to gain from this meeting.”

Dante leads Clarke to a chair, pulling it out for her as he turns to his son. “How about we wait until we have some wine, at least, before we start talking about that? I’ll get it.”

Murphy steps up. “Oh, let me get it for you. If you’ll just point me in the right direction.”

“Thank you very much, Murphy.” Dante smiles kindly, gesturing to a side table near the entrance. “It’s right over there.” 

Murphy smiles before heading toward the wine as he reaches into his pocket. Grasping it firmly in his hand he unties it just as he reaches the table. In one fluid movement, he’s dumped the contents in the wine and placed the pouch back into his pocket. He picks up the pitcher and heads back to the table. He pours wine in each of the five glasses on the table before setting it in the center of the table.

Cage and Tsing don’t hesitate before they bring their cups to their lips and Murphy has to bite back his smirk. He hadn’t thought that it would be that easy. He takes a drink from his own cup and as it explodes on his tongue he has to admit that they have very good taste in wine.

Clarke takes a sip from her own glass before turning back to Cage. “You know why I’m here.”

“Of course, I do.” He tilts his head to the side as he considers her. “And I’m not even surprised that you found out we have him, but I fear this was a wasted trip because I’m not giving him up. He took something of mine and until he returns it he will be my guest.”

“And there’s nothing I can offer? Nothing at all?” Clarke leans forward.

Cage’s eyes slide down as he takes in the cleavage that Murphy is sure has been revealed by Clarke’s movement and he smirks. “No, I don’t think that you can. But please stay for dinner so that we can catch up. That way it isn’t a wasted trip.”

Clarke nods, turning to smile at Dante. “At least I was able to see you, Dante. That makes the trip worth it.”

A few servants come in carrying plates for them, quickly setting the plates in front of each of them before scurrying from the room. Clarke catches his eye and shakes her head slightly and Murphy knows that she is warning him against eating anything. Murphy nods his understanding. He has no plans to eat anything while they were here—especially not now that he’s met Cage. He doesn’t trust him at all—especially not with the way he is looking at Clarke.

He sets down his fork to pick up his wine again before turning back to Cage. “So, Cage. I don’t know much about this area. What are you guys known for?”

Cage flicks his eyes in Murphy’s direction, the disdain clear on his face and in his voice. “We-”

Murphy laughs as Cage collapses forward into his food, Lorelei following seconds later. 

Clarke has used her magic to catch Dante before he collapsed and she lowers him to the ground. She brushes a hand down his cheek. “I’m sorry, Dante.” She stands up, hands and lips moving quickly and then the portal opens before them. 

Diyoza steps out with Raven right on her heels. Diyoza glances over at Cage. “I’m getting more entertainment out of this than I should.” There’s a hint of a smile on her lips before she steps to the side to allow for the others to step out of the portal. “Where are we heading?”

“I’ll lead us once everyone is through,” Clarke says, focus still on the portal. It doesn’t take long for everyone to step through and into the room. Clarke closes the portal and steps up next to Diyoza. “I’m not sure where they’re holding him, but I’d guess it’s in the dungeon. Cage has a thing for belittling people so putting Roan down there would make him feel good about himself.”

Murphy finds himself next to Raven as they follow Clarke and Diyoza through the castle. He’s not sure that he would be able to backtrack if he had too. The Wallaces’ castle is not built in a way to make it easy to navigate—it’s like they want to make it hard for people to get around. 

Finally, they reach a doorway that Clarke throws open and they start descending down a set of stairs. “There will be guards at the bottom of the stairs watching the door. At least two—maybe more since I was going to be here. And there will be more inside. I don’t know how many. We need to be ready for anything.” As they near the bottom of the stairs she holds a finger to her lips, glancing around the corner before holding up four fingers. 

“I like those odds,” Diyoza whispers as she grins and Murphy is scared—she looks like the predator that she is. 

Clarke darts around the corner and Murphy can see a burst of red light as he follows, Diyoza diving in with her sword raised. Murphy has a knife in each hand, launching one through the air as one of the guards tries to sneak up on Clarke. There are already two on the floor, Diyoza fighting a third and when Murphy’s knife finds purchase the fourth guard hits the floor as well.

“Well, that was easier than I had anticipated.” Murphy shrugs as Diyoza takes down the last guard.

“Really, Murphy?” Raven hisses.

Clarke turns to look at the group as they all gather around the door to the dungeon. “We don’t know what to expect down there.” Without another word, she threw the door open to find many surprised looking guards. 

Murphy loses himself in the battle. He loses count of the number of guards he fights and loses track of the others as his vision narrows to the fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees flashes of Clarke’s powers and he hears the sounds of swords meeting over and over. Occasionally he hears a roar of whatever animal Nyko has transformed into, the shrill sound of Anya scream, and the intoxicating sound of Lexa’s song. At one point he catches a glimpse of a golden scales and has to keep himself from looking. Holy shit is Sinclair a fucking gold dragon?! Obviously, he had no way of knowing what color he was, but he has always assumed that he was red like Raven. No one has seen a gold dragon in hundreds of years. As far as he knows they’re extinct. He can’t let himself be distracted by this, but he _will_ be asking Raven about this later. He feels the heat of fire and knows that either Sinclair or Raven have released their fire breath at someone.

Eventually, the guards stop coming and Murphy takes a look around. There are so many guards on the ground that Murphy can’t count them. He watches as Raven, Sinclair, and Nyko transform back into their human forms, leaning against a wall as he catches his breath. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”

Dizoya is suddenly next to him, laughing as she slaps him on his back which jars him. She’s fucking strong. Holy shit. And is that actual emotion on her face? “It’s invigorating, isn’t it?”

“Sure, whatever you say Diyoza.” Murphy shakes his head.

“The name’s Charmaine.” She holds out her hand to him. “You fight better than I expected an incubus to fight. So you’ve earned the right to call me by my given name.”

Murphy doesn’t know if he should be offended by this remark, but he shakes her hand none the less. “Thanks. I guess.”

“How about we do what we came here to do?” Luna stands there with her hands on her hips, eyeing them in obvious disdain.

Clarke rolls her eyes so that only Murphy and Diyoza can see and it takes everything in Murphy not to laugh. Clarke eyes him for a moment. “How long until the knock out powder wears off? Last night you said an hour. Is that still accurate.”

Murphy calculates in his head. “To the best of my knowledge—yes.” He knows that he doesn’t sound certain, but that’s because he’s not. 

“What a surprise, he’s not even sure.” Shaw leans against a wall, arms crossed as he glares at Murphy. 

Murphy takes a deep breath, telling himself not to take the bait. Who cares if he’s a douche? It’s fine. He’s just unhappy with his life—unlike Murphy who loves his life. There’s no reason to let Shaw get to him. He opens his eyes and smiles at Shaw. “Well, at least I was helpful. Unlike _some_ people.”

“That’s enough boys, we don’t need to have a dick-measuring contest right now do we?” Diyoza looks between the two men, eyebrows raised and obviously unimpressed.

“I mean, I assume you’re here to rescue me, are you not?” A low voice trails down the hallway.

Murphy glances down the hall to see a hand sticking out of the bars over a door waving at them. Well, it sounds like Roan. 

Luna doesn’t hesitate as she moves quickly down the hall until she’s standing in front of the door. “Roan!”

Murphy moves a little more slowly than Luna or Clarke who reach Roan first, but soon the three of them are crowded around the door. Roan looks _rough_. His shoulder-length hair is stringy, his face beaten and bruised, but he’s grinning at them. “I knew you’d make sure I got rescued, Luna. Thank you, sister.”

“Sister?” The question is out of his mouth before he can stop it. 

Luna turns to look at him, nose upturned. “Yes, _sister_. What do you think kelpie can’t have magic?”

Murphy holds up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I don’t question what anyone can or can’t do. I just didn’t realize you were related is all.”

Roan smirks at Murphy. “Still putting your foot in your mouth, I see?”

“Whenever possible.” Murphy turns his head to smile at Roan. “I’m telling you, it’s the best way to live.”

“I don’t want to be rude.” Nyko steps forward. “But if that powder is only going to keep them knocked out for an hour we may want to hurry this up. They’re probably waking up right about now.”

Murphy looks to him, brow furrowed. “Are you psychic or something?”

Nyko lets out a deep roaring laugh. “No. Druids’ internal clocks are always accurate. And it’s been an hour since we got here.”

“Shit.” Clarke looks at the door for a moment. “Everybody get back.”

Shaw puts a hand on her arm, stopping her. “No reason to blow up the door. I’ve got this.” He smirks at Murphy over his shoulder before ducking down as he pulls tools from his pocket. He slides them into the lock and within seconds the door pops open.

“Well, _I_ could’ve done that,” Murphy mutters under his breath. 

“Shut up, Murphy.” Clarke doesn’t have to be looking at him for Murphy to know that she’s rolling her eyes. 

Okay, so maybe he _does_ make everything with Shaw a competition, but damn it, the man is infuriating. He’s so damn smug all the time. Always thinks he’s right. Hell, he’d dosed him with a trust serum. He’s allowed to not like him. 

“Let’s get out of here. I really don’t feel like dealing with Cage when he realizes I drugged him.” Clarke pulls the door open and Murphy pushes past her to help Roan walk when he sees that he’s struggling.

“Damn, they gave you a good beating didn’t they?” Murphy shakes his head as his arm goes around Roan’s waist.

“You should’ve seen me before I was able to heal some of it.” Roan tries to laugh, but it’s obvious that he’s in a lot of pain.

Murphy looks to Clarke, eyes wide. “Portal. Now. We need to get him to a healer.”

“But I am a healer-” Roan starts to step forward and then collapses. Luckily Sinclair is close enough to help Murphy grab him before he hits the floor.

Clarke quickly opens a portal and everyone begins stepping through.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

Murphy hears Cage’s roar from down the hall as he’s about to step through. His eyes meet Clarke’s and she shakes her head. If she says she’s got it he trusts that she’s got it. He and Sinclair step through the portal and arrive into his overly crowded room at the inn. Murphy can hear the sound of Clarke’s magic being thrown about even through the portal, but he ignores it as Nyko gestures for them to put Roan on the bed.

Seconds later Clarke steps through the portal, closing it behind her, looking no worse for wear. She pats him on the shoulder as she walks by. “They won’t be following us.” She opens the door. “Everyone but Murphy, Raven, Luna, and Nyko out.”

“Seriously?” 

Murphy isn’t sure who spoke, but whoever it was didn’t say anything else when Clarke turns her glare on them all. “There’s not enough room in here for all of us. Go downstairs. Eat. Drink. Be merry. We did what we set out to do. Now, we need to make sure he lives. Once I’m sure of that I’ll make sure that you’re all paid. Now—out.” 

Murphy turns his attention back to Nyko. “Is there anything that you need?”

“I don’t know.” Nyko’s eyes are wide. “I’m not a healer like Roan.”

Damn. The one person that could heal Roan _is_ Roan. No other healer can match his talents, but those are magical talents. Murphy straightens when he remembers one of the lessons that Roan had given him on herbalist healing—it’s part of the reason he’d started gardening. “Clarke?”

Clarke turns her attention from Roan to him. “What do you need?”

“Can you find some willow tree bark? It’s the only thing I’m missing.” Murphy is already moving to the table where he had set his bag.

“Missing for what?” For once Luna’s words aren’t harsh, but curious.

Murphy spares her a glance, hoping that whatever she sees on his face will reassure her. “Roan was training me on herbalist healing. For times when we can’t get to a healer. It should help enough to get him awake so that he can heal himself.”

Clarke has already opened a portal, hopping into it, and is back in by the time he’s assembled the ingredients he needs. The Bitter Spolwood leaves, the Wanor Srage plant, the roots of the Scented Cane, and the leaves from the Knies. He takes the willow bark from her, grinding it to dust as he tosses in the other plants. 

“Raven, can you mix this with some water. It needs to be hot water.” Murphy doesn’t look at her as he hands her a large purple Bitter Spolwood leaf. He knows that she’ll do exactly what he asks without having to check on her. By the time she returns with a cup of boiling Bitter Spolwood water, he has everything else mixed up.

“Here you go, Murph.” 

Murphy takes the cup and slowly pours a small amount of the liquid into the mixture before mixing it up again. “Okay, now we just have to make sure he swallows it.” He glances around the room at everyone. “Please don’t kill me for I’m about to do, okay?”

Murphy doesn’t stop to wait for an answer as he walks over to Roan, tilting his head back. He pours the mixture down his throat before forcing his mouth closed and pinching Roan’s nose.

“What the hell are you doing?” Luna roars from behind him, but he can’t focus on that right now. Clarke and Raven will keep her off of him. They trust him even if Luna doesn’t.

Murphy focuses all of his attention on Roan as the other man begins to struggle—which makes sense seeing as Murphy is making it impossible for him to breathe. Eventually, he sees Roan’s throat move and he lets go. That should be enough—it has to be.

He backs up and slides down the wall to sit on the floor. All they can do now is wait—which royally sucks. He pulls his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. Raven and Clarke slide down on each side of him as Luna sits on the bed, holding Roan’s hand and Nyko sits in the only chair in the room.

Murphy doesn’t know how long they’re sitting there waiting, but no one speaks. All they can do is pray that he wakes up. It could be minutes or hours later, but finally Roan begins to stir and they all shoot to their feet.

A groan falls from Roan’s lips as his eyes flutter. They flash open as he jerks up, eyes finding Murphy. “You?”

Murphy can’t fight the grin. “Yes, me.”

“Ugh, can you get me some water? That is _foul_.” Roan’s eyes fall closed as swings around so his feet are on the floor. “Clarke?”

Clarke kneels down beside him. “What do you need?”

“Can you lend me a bit of your power? I’m going to need a lot to heal and I’m running low.” Roan reaches out blindly for her hand.

“Of course, whatever you need.” Clarke slides her hand in his as Luna hurries back to his side, a cup of water in her hand.

Roan opens his eyes and smiles at Luna. “Thank you.” He drains the glass quickly before handing it back to Luna. His eyes fall shut once again as he begins to speak a language that Murphy has heard before but does not know. Roan had once told him that it was an ancient language of the elves. A few moments later he can see a bright yellow light enveloping Roan and a purple spark seeming to jump from Clarkep’s hand to him. When the lights dim Roan is back to normal. 

“That’s a neat trick,” Murphy quips. “Wish I could do that back when I used to get my ass kicked on the regular.”

Roan’s laugh fills the room. “Man, do I wish that I could’ve been there to see that.”

“Shut up. I was like six.” Murphy rolls his eyes. “But on a serious note, I’m glad you’re alright.”

“You and me both.” Roan standing, helping Clarke to her feet as he does so before dropping her hand. “Are the rest waiting for us?”

Clarke nods. “They should be. They’re still waiting to be paid.”

“I can’t believe that you have to pay them to get them to help,” Luna’s voice is filled with disgust.

Clarke turns on her, eyes flashing with anger. “They would help for free if I had asked, but I have the ability to pay them so why shouldn’t I?”

Roan steps between the two women. “Luna, you will never understand the ways of this world. Don’t concern yourself with them, dear sister. I am safe now, you can return to the water.” He pulls her in for a hug, placing a quick kiss to her forehead. “I will come to see you soon.”

Luna nods absently. “You are right. I have been on land for far too long.” She turns to look at the others. “Thank you for helping to save my brother.” Without waiting for a response she heads to the door.

Roan follows her, leaving Murphy and the others no choice but to follow him. They make their way downstairs and Roan heads straight for the back room that they had met in the night before. 

“How do you know where they are?” Raven asks and Murphy nods as it was exactly what he had been thinking.

Roan glances over his shoulder at them, throwing them a wink. “I own the place.”

Why isn’t Murphy surprised? Forget that it makes no sense for a tavern—it’s Roan after all. He glances at the front door as Luna opens it and realizes that it is right on the water. Well, that makes a lot more sense now that he knows that Luna is Roan’s sister. A place close to where he was probably raised—somewhere close to his remaining family.

As they make their way into the back room Murphy finds everyone sitting around the table drinking. They all stand when Roan makes his way into the room.

“Thank you all for your help in rescuing me today. I don’t know exactly what Cage had planned for me, but I know that it isn’t anything good. Figuring out what they wanted is a problem for another day. I know that you were all promised payment for your assistance which I will make sure is delivered to your rooms shortly.” Roan takes the glass of ale that Clarke hands to him. “You are all welcome here for as long as you’d like. The rooms and the drinks are on the house. Cheers.”

Murphy leans against a wall as he watches the group drink, but he doesn’t join them. It doesn’t take long for Raven and Clarke to come over to him.

“What’s wrong, Murph?” Clarke asks as she leans against his side.

“Nothing wrong.” He smiles down at her. “It’s just now that we’ve delivered Roan safe and sound, I’d like to get home. Spend some time with the two of you before you have to head back to wherever you’re currently needed.”

“Murphy-” There is a warning in Raven’s voice.

“No, Raven, it’s fine.” Clarke nods. “Let’s go home.”

They say their goodbyes and then Clarke portals them home. Murphy quickly builds a fire while Raven makes them tea before they settle onto the blankets in front of the fire. 

“I know I’ve been gone for a long time,” Clarke starts. “And don’t think that it’s because I don’t want to be here—because I do—but there are things that I need to be doing that I can’t do from here. I will say that I am long overdue for some time off.”

Murphy laughs. “Yeah, right. Like Arkadia gives you time off.”

“They will if they want me to continue working for them.” Clarke’s face is serious as she looks first at Murphy and then at Raven. “I love you guys. You are not only my friends, but you’re my family. I _miss_ you guys. So I’m going to take some time off and be here with you.”

Murphy smiles and he’s sure that he looks like an idiot, but this is the best news that he’s heard in a while. “Thank the Gods. I think if it’s just me and Raven for much longer she’s going to kill me.”

Raven smacks his back playfully. “I could never kill you, Murphy. Maim you? Maybe.”

The three of them laugh and Murphy wishes that it could always be like this. He knows that Clarke’s job is important—there aren’t enough sorceresses to go around, but he hates that she’s not around. He also knows that Arkadia expects their sorceresses to work for them until they die so it’s unlikely that Clarke could quit no matter how much she says she will—but if anyone could get out of it, it would be Clarke.

So, for now, he accepts that this is the time that they have and he will be happy with it. 


End file.
